Dewatering machine



DEWATERING MACHINE Filed May 23 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. l, 1924.

UNETED STATS HENRY BURDETT CLEVELAND, or iiasr soHoDeoK, NEW YORK.

DEWATERING MACHINE.,

Application filed May 23, 1921. Serial No. 471,796.

To all whom t may concer/11,: Y

Be it known that I HENRY BURDn-'r'r CLEVELAND, a citizen ofy the United States,

and resident of East Schodack, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain vnew and useful improvements in Dewatering Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof. l

This invention pertains to improvements in dewatering machines, used in connection with activated sewage sludge or similar material, having low specific gravity, and more particularly to that type employing centrifugal means, commonly known *as a centrifuge. l

'One common method, employed at the present time, of dewatering activated sludge or similar material is to d-ischarge'the sludge into a rotatable drum, at a point near its bottom, which imparts rotation to the material and results in the cake or mass, contained in the sludge, being thrown and held intoi'contact with the sides of the drum, while the liquid or effluent overflows and is carried off from the top of the drum. This i method embodies many objectionable features, resulting in lower efhciency and consequently small capacity of the machine, due to the fact that'sludge discharged at the bottom of the drum will not reach the maximum nuniberof revolutions per minute until it has traveled the entire heighty of the drum, which results in a slow and inefficient separation of the cake Vor mass from the eiiiuent, and requires subsequent rehandling of the effluent. Attempts have been made to overcome the foregoing disadvantages by increasing the number of revolutions ofthe drinn. This, however, has been found impractical, due to the great strain aud pressure upon the wall ofthe drum resulting from the increased `centrifugal force.V A further objection results from the fact that it is impossible to obtain an even flow of sludge,-the sameibeing fed by gravity, thereby resulting in vibration of the drum which is injurious to the same and causes great wear upon the supportingbearing.

It is therefore primarily the' object of the present invention to overcome these disadvantages and increase the eiiiciency, and incidentally the capacity of machines of this character by the provision of means adapted to impart rotation to the sludge or similar material before the same comes into contact with the main drum. i A more specific Objectis to provide auxiliary rotatable means-within the main drum adapted to impart rotation to the sludge or material to be dewatered prior to discharging the saine drum. v

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in into contact with the main4 what is,herein shown andV described and more particularly pointed out and-defined by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

VFigure lA represents an elevational sec-V tional view taken through a machine embodying the features of theinvention.

Figure 2 is a--transverse lsectional view taken upon the line 2 2 vkof Figure l, and Figure 3 is a detail view looking up upon the auxiliary drum, j v Referring now mo-re particularly' to2 the accompanying drawings, the numeral l designates an annular casing provided with a dividing flange 2 forming the top of a compartment 3, into whichthe cake or mass lis adapted to be'discharged, which compartment has communicating therewith discharge lpassages 4. 'The upper portion of the casing is provided with a cover plate 5 forming an annular fluid disch arge compartment 6 adapted Vto receive theeiiiuentand discharge the lsamethrough. the port 7. Positioned centrally within the casing is a driven shaft Seto which is secured the bottoni 9, and top 10 of the main drum, which bota side wall 12 and is adapted to project into an annular groove 1 3 provided' in the'top `10,

vwhich top is also provided with a restricted mouthlll to permit'overfiow' or discharge the separation of the cake or massfrom the Y effluent takesfplace. Y in the specific showing,

as disclosed in the drawings, the drumA` receives its rotarymovement through the contom and top are spaced apart and connected byV stays orl ribs 1l. An annular ringy forms icio nection of its bottom 9 with the driven shaft l 8; The usual operation of machines of this character is todischarge sludge or similar material into the mam drum at apointadbearings 19.

jacent the bottomV of the same, while the drum is in motion, .the same coming in contact vtherewith will.l gradually assume the full number or :fraction of revolutions thereof of the drum causing the suspended matter in the sludgeto be' thrown intev contact with the side wall 12, because ci' centrifugal force.

When a certain amount of cake Vor mass has accumulated upon YYthe. sidewall 12 and it is desired to discharge the samefrom the drum7 thefiow of sludge is shut eff, and while the drum continuesf to revolve,` lthe sidewall -12 is lowered by means of' a conical plate 15.secured tothe lowerl edge .of the side wall 12 and having'a salined connection with .theshaft 8. The mass orv calze is 'then discharged because ofcentrifugal force into the compartment 3. For the purposeuof raising and lowering'4 the conicalV plate 15, the .same is .provided with..a.:depending annular'ring 16 provided .With an annular flange -17 at its lowermost end. A split housing 18 surrounds theflange 17 and has, disposed between it and the. flange, anti-rictional Secured to the housing 18 and depending therefrom. are a plurality of actuating rods 20, which through any suitable means notshown, are adapted to beoperated inv a vertical directionv to raise vand lower' thehousing, which through its connection. with the .flange 18 .will cause the wall 12 to be raised and loweredwhen desired7 and dueto the, anti-frictional bearings positioned between the housing 18. and flange 17, friction resulting. from end thrust 'will .be-eliminated. d

Vhile lhave shown the conicalplate .'15, which .carries the sidewall 11, Vsplined to the'shaft 18,for. the purpose ofimparting rotation to the, sidewall, in someinstances, l may desire to eliminate thisconnection and depend upon rotation ofV the sludge coming into contact with the bottom.and stays to induce. motion to the'main drum.

Fittedover theshaft 8. and extending into the inaindrum is asleeve 21, ,which isdriven bymeansofV a motor 22v mounted at thetop ofthe centrifuge. Threaded on to the sleeve or v fastened thereto in any suitablemanner isv aflared drum .23, whose lower end terminates adjacent the. bottom 9. Theupper yend-ioiyhead of thedrum is provided with anannular pocket 24s `into which projects al discharge'nozzle 25 of a sludge supply Y pipe 26 projecting through the :cover and ,provided with a-control valve 27. A series of.passages 28 connect the annular pocket 24 with'the lower portion ofthe -Ilared drum and .lneiniiuthe sludge discharge .-into the .pochette pass throughthe-head of the .flared drumaandintov contact with theinner wall of the same. An5 outwardly .tapered apron 29 mounted on the sleeve 21 and Vv'secured between .theihead ofthe flared drum Y and a` jam nut 30 further tends to -direct the Y Uperedand extend upwardly from the lower edge of the drum, terminating intermediate the, saine` andthe,-head thereby imparting a gradual rotation tothe sludge and eliminating sudden strain or .loadv upon thedrunt Attentionvisv also directed to the flared inner surface of `the drumv23 which is essential. to cause the downward `travel .ofgthe sludge, as it is=obvious that wereY the inner surface of the idrum..,perpentlicular, `the sludge, i and more .particularly the. mass .or

calre,.-would accumulate thereon instead of traveling,downward .and discharging into the main drum.

,v While l have shown .fins V31 secured l.to theinterior surface ofthe flared drum, there are instancesfwherel l vdesire to eliminate .theseand depend entirely upon contact of the sludge Vwith the Vside of the drum to im part rotati'on to the sludge. It will further be noted that .the drum23 ismountedupon ,thesleeve 21, while the main drum derives rotation through 'its connection with y.the

driven shaft8. The purpose of this is1 to. Y

permit the inner and .outer vdrum to be driven at different speeds should, it Ibe so. desired,

It willbe appreciated, howeverfthat where Ifdesire to drivebothfat the isame.'speed,

.the sleeve 21 maybeelimi-nated tand lboth drums secured vto the shaft 8.

Very simple` arrangement has .been provided,

YFrom ,the foregoing it will vbe,seenthat a l whereby rotation is imparted to thefsludge before thesaineis.discharged into Contact withv the maindrumVwhich Vinsuresmaximum -efhciency of operation.I and aty the ,same ti-megreatercapacity,of thenmachine.

lclaim: y.' 1.. A. machine .of thefcharacter and for kthe `purpose set forth .comprising a main rotary drum, an. auxiliary rotary' drum mounted Vbeing opened.atitsfhottom and .havingits sidewall flared outwardly and terminating" ,adj acent the bottomy of; the. main drum, and

purpose set orthcomprising a.,main. :rotary drum, an.. auxiliary rotary. drum mounted withinsaid main drum, said auxiliarydrum .withinsaid maindruiml said auxiliarydrunr having. .its-heady priwided-v with an annular i pocket and communicating'passages be- V,tween the. ipocket ,and interior; oflthe. drum,

les

kthe lower. end ofY the drum `Vbeing. open.l ^and terminating adj aeent, the bottom of @the main. drum, yand meansfonsupplyingi .mate- Y .rial to saidannular pocket.`

3. A machineofithe character-'set vforth,

comprising a main rotary drum having a restricted discharge throat at its top,'an auxiliary rotary drum positioned Within the main drum, said auxiliary drum tapering outwardly toward its discharge edge, the discharge edge being of smaller diameter than the discharge throat of the main drum, and means for supplying material to the auxiliary drum. y,

4. A machine of the character set` forth, comprising a main rotary drum having a restricted discharge throat at its top, an auxil-Y iary rotary drum positioned Within the main drum, said auxiliary drum tapering outwardly toward its discharge edge, vertical ribs interiorly of the auxiliary drum and projecting from a discharge edge to a point intermediate the top and' bottom, and means for supplying material to the auxiliary drum.

5. A machine of the character set forth, comprising a main rotary drum having a restricted discharge throat at its top, an auxiliary rotary drum positioned Within the main drum, said auxiliary drum tapering out- Wardly toward its discharge edge, and vertical ribs interiorly of lthe auxiliary drum, said ribs tapering from the discharge edge and terminating at a point intermediate the top and bottom.

6. A machine of the character set forth,

the discharge throat of the main drum, ver-l tical ribs interiorly of the auxiliary drum,

saidribs tapering from the discharge edge and terminating at a point intermediate the top and bottom of the auxiliary drum, and

means for supplying materialto the auxil`- lary drum.

In testimony that I claim theV foregoing l; have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in4

the county ofiMilWaukee and State of Wisconsin.

HENRY BURDETT CLEVELAND` 

